coral ecosystems
Underwater limestone communities
Coral ecosystems are marine environments built around coral reefs, where colonies of tiny animals called coral polyps create massive calcium carbonate structures over centuries.
These ecosystems support extraordinary biodiversity—often called "rainforests of the sea"—providing habitat for roughly a quarter of all marine species despite covering less than one percent of the ocean floor.
The coral ecosystems of the Great Barrier Reef attract millions of tourists annually.
Climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution increasingly threaten these fragile systems worldwide.
- barrier reefOffshore coral formation
- ocean acidificationSeawater pH dropping from CO2
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- spawning groundsWhere fish reproduce
- atollRing-shaped reef island
coastal protection · ocean warming · parrotfish · calcification · symbiosis · sponge · carbon sequestration · echinoderms · mangroves · tidal zone · microorganisms · endemic species · lagoon · tentacles · overfishing · diving · turquoise · spawning
coral ecosystemsopen ocean
Sea far from shore
deep sea · Antarctic waters · mudflats · polar seas · offshore waters